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A $8.7 million grant has been awarded to the Weill Cornell Medical College through the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (FAMRI) to fund research on the effects of second hand smoke. This study will be conducted on 5000 non-smokers who have worked in service industries which involve high exposure to second hand smoke. Flight attendants who were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke prior to the inflight smoking ban that took effect in 1988 as well as those who have worked in areas of similar exposure such as in restaurants and entertainment are being recruited for this series of clinical studies which will take place at several locations.

This research will be designed to help understand the impact of second hand smoke on numerous diseases including cancer, heart disease, emphysema, asthma, chronic bronchitis and osteoporosis. It will be performed through the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) which is the laragest collaborative CT screening effort in the world.

Dr. Shusuke Sone from Azumi General Hospital has been awareded the Asahi Cancer Award for conducting research in lung cancer screening in Japan. Dr. Shusuke Sone is a member of the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) team and has published numerous papers on cancer research over the past ten years.

The Japan Cancer Society (JCS), a privately organized anti-cancer movement in Japan, gives this award to recognize achievement in cancer research as well as related activities including development of equipment and patient support activities.

Lung cancer can be detected at its very earliest stage in 85 percent of patients using annual low-dose CT screening, and when followed by prompt surgical removal the 10-year survival rate is 92 percent. These results, to be reported in the October 26 New England Journal of Medicine, would dramatically decrease the number of deaths from lung cancer - the number one cause of cancer deaths among both men and women in the U.S.